Can-closure



M. J. WELL|NG.

CAN CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29A 1920.

Patented July 19, 1921f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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CAN-CLOSURE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW J. WELL- ING a citizen" of the United States, residing at of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Closures, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to containers usually formed of'tin, of the type in which the closure comprises a seat member mounted upon the upper end of the container and a cover member adapted to frictionally engage with the seat member to be held thereby in operative or closing position.

Closures of the general character indicated have heretofore been so formed as to require the use of two separate sheets of metal and a consequent waste of material in the formation in the seat member of the opening to be closed by the cover member.

The principal object of thepresent invention is to provide a, closure of a practical character which may be constructed from a single sheet of material and hence may be manufactured at an extremely low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure which may by a simple formation of the interfitting elements be made non-refillable.

The objects of the invention thus generally stated, together with other and ancillary advantages, may be attained by the construction .and arrangement illustrated in the accompanying drawings'forming part hereof in which Figure 1 is a central trans verse sectional view through the upper end of a container embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the cover element detached from the seat element of the closure. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view through the blank from which the closure is formed, the blank being shown in the shape which it assumes after the first forming operation. Fig. 4 1s a similar view but showing the blank after the second forming operation. Fig. 5 1s a similar view showing the closure completely shaped. Fig 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the seat element and cover element of the closure shaped to render the can non-refillable;

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2; the completed closure comprises a seat element 7 and a cover element 8. The Seat element iS' Specification 0! Letters Patent.

' Application filed Kay 29,

Chicago, in the county of Cook and State Patented Jul 19, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 385,175.

in the present instance made annular in form having a peripheral securing flange 9 adapted to interengage with the upper end of the side wall 10 of the container in the usual way. Spaced inwardly from its perlpheral edge, the seat member is shaped to provide anennular depression or seat 11, and depending from the inner edge of said seat is a flange or ring 12.

The cover element 8 comprises a flat central portlon or disk 13 having near its peripheral edge a depending flange or ring 14 adapted to fit snugly within the ring 12. At the unctionbetween the disk 13 and the r1ng 14 the closure element is shaped to provide an annular ledge 15 adapted to enga e with the seat 11 of the seat member.

t Wlll be seen that the cover element is arranged to be held in position in the seat element by the frictional engagement between the inner ring 14 and the outer ring 12 of the cover and seat elements, respectively,

vertical portion 0 is doubled upon itself to form an annular depending fold one wall 6 of which constitutes the outer ring 12 of the seat element and the other wall f of which provides the inner ring 14 ofthe cover element. Between the upper end of the inner ring 14 of the cover element and the central portion 1) of the blank is formed an annular upstanding head 9 which, as will be presently described, is to constitute the ledge 15 of the cover element.

In the next operation of forming the closure the portion a of the blank is shaped to form the peripheral securing flange 9 and the annular depression or seat 11 .of the seat element, and the bead g is shaped to form the ledge 15 of the cover element, the bead being for this purpose bent outwardly and flattened so that its upper surface lies substantially flush with the upper surface of the central portion 72 of the blank which now constitutes the closing disk 13 of the cover element.

In the final operation of forming the closure a portion of the lower ends of the inner and outer rings 12 and 14 are cut away substantially along the broken line it inFig. 5,

thus severing the cover element from the seat element and enabling the removal of the cover element from the seat element by means of an instrument inserted between the ledge 15 and its seat 11.

It will be seen that the closure as thus formed is of a v,ery practical and eflicient character in that it is capable of being made by simple bending and shaping operations which are of such a character as to eliminate the necessity of forming the cover and seat elements from separate pieces of metal and the consequent waste due to the cutting away of the metal in providing the opening in the closure for the cover element, as is commonly practised. At the same time it will be seen that a very efficient closure is produced by my improved method.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the lower ends of the inner ring 14 and outer ring 12 of the cover and seat elements, respectively, bent outwardly as at 16. It will be apparent that a comparatively slight bending of the inner ring 14 will merely serve to increase the triotional engagement between the cover elementand the seat element; while a greater outward bending of the lower end of the inner ring 14 of the cover elem-entwill eifectively prevent the replacement of the cover element into position with relation to the' seat element and thus render the closure non-refillable.

It is to be understood that while the invention has been herein illustrated and described with considerable particularity, it is contemplated that various changes may be made in construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A closure for containersformed from a solid blank of; metal shaped near its outer edge to provide two juxtaposed flanges carried respectively by an outer portion of the blank adapted to be secured to the wall of the container and by an inner or central portion of the blank, said flanges being severed at their lower edges whereby to con stitute .the central portion of the blank and its flange a cover element adaptedto frictionally engage with the outer portion of the blank and its flange, the latter. constituting a seat element.

2. A closure for containers formed from a solid blank of metal shaped near its outer edge to provide two juxtaposed flanges carried respectively by an outer portion of the blank adapted to be secured to the wall of the container and by an inner or central portion of the blank, said flanges being severed at their lower edges whereby to constitute the central portion of the blank and its flange a cover element adapted to frictionally engage with the outer portion of the blank and its flange, the latter constituting a seat element, said cover element being shaped at the juncture between the flange and the central portion to provide an outwardly extending ledge adapted to rest upon the outer portion of the seat element.

3. A closure for containers comprising a cover element and a seat element formed from the same sheet of material and shaped to provide a central portion, a portion surrounding the last-mentioned portion adapted to be secured to the wall of the container and having an annular depression forming a seat, and a fold of the material depending a substantial distance from said central portion and from said seat, said fold being cut away at its lower edge whereby to form separate frictionally engaging members upon the respective elements.

4. A closure for containers comprising a cover element and a seat element formed from the same sheet of material and shaped to provide a central portion and a surrounding portion, the last mentioned portion being adapted to be secured to the wall of the container and having an annular depression forming a seat, and a fold of the material depending a substantial distance from said central portion and from said seat, said fold being cut away at its lower edge whereby to form separate frictionally engaging members upon the respective elements, and said cover element'beingshaped at the upper end of its ring member to provide a ledge adapted to engage with said seat of the seat element.

5 A closure comprising, in combination, a cover element and a seat element formed froma single sheet of material and each comprising an upright member adapted to .interengage to frictionally hold the cover element in position upon the seat element, the lower end of the member of the cover element being bent outwardly.

6. A closure forcans comprising a cover element and a seat element formed from a single sheet of material shaped to provide a depending fold cut away at its lower edge to sever said elements, the opposite walls of the fold being adapted to provide friction members upon the respective elements, and at least one of said members having its innor edge bent outwardly.

7. A closure for cans comprising a cover element and a seat element formed from a single sheet of material shaped to provide a depending fold cut away at its lower edge to sever said elements, the opposite walls of the fold being adapted to provide friction members upon the respective elements, the member of the cover element having its lower end bent outwardly.

8. The method of making closures for containers which consists in shaping a single sheet of material to provide near its outer edge a depending fold, and severing the walls of the fold at the lower end thereof whereby to provide an outer seat element and an inner cover element with the severed walls of the fold constituting friction members.

9. The method of making closures for containers which consists in sha ing a blank of metal to form'a substantially fiat central portion and a fiat outer portion connected by an annular or rin portion of substantial width, doubling t e ring portion on itself substantially centrally thereof to carry the central port-ion of the blank approximately into the plane of the outer portion thus forming a fold projecting perpendicularly from the outer and central portions, and finally cutting away the free edge of the fold whereby to provide'the cover element and the seat element of the closure each having an integral flange adapted to fit snugly within and to frictionally engage with the flange of the other element.

10. A closure for containers formed from a. solid blank of metal and comprising a seat element and a coverelement, each of said elements comprising a substantially flat portion and a single depending flange, said flanges being formed from an intermediate portion, connecting the flat portions of the respective elements, doubled upon itself to form a fold, and cut at the inner edge of the fold to sever the flanges.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MATTHEW J. WELLING. 

